Hi Harald:

My Express had a droopy top spreader when I bought it. It was fairly obvious where the bend was and what the proper angle was supposed to be (by looking at the unbent side).

I stuck it in a vice and bent it back, taking a bit of care not to dent/ding it up. It wasn't that difficult to move, didn't crack, and worked fine for two years thereafter (still works).

Are you certain the droop occurred in the grounding? It's difficult to think up a scenerio which would create the downward force due to an abrupt stop. It's much more common to see the damage coming when using a jib crane hoist and getting the spreader tip caught on the beam while lifting.

I'd call Buzz and see if he has one, but I wouldn't hesitate to try straightening it.

Bob Harvey

#93 Trim

Harald Kolter wondered:

>>I have a bent main spreader bar.

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>>Can I straighten it or do I need to replace it?

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>>It has has a Z shaped bend, the starboard spreader droops about 10 degrees. If it needs to be replace were do I get one?

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>>My other question is what caused this to happen and has anyone had similar problems. I first found the problem after a bad grounding.

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>>Harald Kolter

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